Gators Legend Steve Spurrier Critiques Florida’s Offense After Miami Loss

The legendary Florida Gators head coach threw out a few ideas for how the offense could take a step forward

Florida Gators' legendary head ball coach wasn't too happy with the performance on Saturday | Brad McClenny / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After suffering three consecutive losses, you’d already expect the Florida Gators to be receiving a fair share of criticism, but it stings a bit more when it’s coming from one of the most significant legends in program history.

Although Florida’s offensive line received the worst Pro Football Focus grade (0.2) since 2020, former Gators National Championship-winning head coach Steve Spurrier mentioned that Florida’s offensive struggles shouldn’t solely be blamed on their offensive line. 

While appearing as a guest on the Another Dooley Noted Podcast, Spurrier mentioned that if Gators quarterback DJ Lagway is frequently under pressure, it could also be his own fault.

“Everybody thinks that when the quarterback gets sacked all the time, the line is terrible. Well, maybe he should’ve thrown it quicker,” Spurrier said. “When you’re in Shotgun, it’s three steps, hitch and throw. But if it’s three steps, hitch, run around a little bit, you're going to get sacked.

"So I don't know if he had anybody open. I don't know exactly all the details. Now, what I'm trying to say is sometimes a quarterback needs to get rid of the ball on time instead of running around back in the pocket…Right before the snap, he's got to have an idea here or there.”

Lagway had one the roughest games of his career during Florida’s 26-7 loss to Miami, completing just 52% of his passes for a total of 62 yards and no touchdowns.

Among all SEC quarterbacks who have taken a minimum of 100 snaps, Lagway currently has the lowest PFF grade. This season, the sophomore signal-caller leads the SEC with six interceptions while totaling 690 passing yards and five touchdowns.

While Spurrier didn’t outright suggest that Gators head coach Billy Napier should change his offensive scheme, he did float the idea.

 “I don't know if Billy's gonna make some changes,” Spurrier said. “There's an old saying, If it ain't working, try something different.”

While the final score may not be the best indicator, Florida’s defense managed to hold up well throughout most of the game. Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck threw for a season-low 160 yards, and Florida entered the fourth quarter with a minimal 13-7 deficit.

According to Spurrier, Florida should start finding ways for their defense to get on the board, since the offense has been facing some serious struggles so far.

“I guess we need to learn how to score on defense,” Spurrier mentioned. “Since the offense isn’t scoring much.”